Diner, game check station still enjoys brisk business

Longtime hunter Robert McCormick, right, reports the harvest of a doe to Granny’s Restaurant owner Mike Johnson. Hunters are required to report any deer they harvest either online or at an official game check station such as Granny’s.(Photo: David Berman/Gazette)Buy Photo

LONDONDERRY For years, hunters were required to take the deer they harvested to an authorized game check station for inspection.

Such restaurants and gas stations became hubs of activity during deer season — places where hunters could swap stories and show off the trophy bucks they’d bagged.

Then, several years ago, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife unveiled a new system allowing hunters to report their harvests from the field using their phones or an Internet connection.

Although it doesn’t see nearly the same number of deer, Granny’s Restaurant remains a popular destination for hunters in search of a warm meal and good conversation. The restaurant near Londonderry was filled with them around lunchtime Monday, the first day of the seven-day firearms season.

Granny’s owner Mike Johnson said business hasn’t been hurt by the new reporting methods because he still sells hunting licenses and still serves home-cooked food in an area where full-service restaurants are few and far between.

As of noon Monday, Johnson had checked in 30 deer. That’s not to say he saw 30 deer. Even the in-person reporting system doesn’t require him to actually lay eyes on the animal.

“We used to take pictures of the deer when they physically had to bring them in. Now ... we don’t take as many, but if we get a good buck, we’ll still take a picture,” Johnson said. “Overall, they don’t bring them in like they used to.”

By Johnson’s estimation, 90 percent of the hunters he has talked to don’t like the new system. They suspect some people use it as a loophole to exceed bag limits, he said.

Local hunter Randy King, who hunts on private land in Vinton County, said he still likes to bring his deer to Granny’s to be checked in-person. On Monday, however, he was only there for lunch.

Damp conditions kept the deer at bay.

“Hunting’s optional,” quipped King’s brother, Rodney.

“Killing’s very optional,” King added.

Brent Waddell, of Clarksburg, said all he encountered Monday were “raindrops and squirrels.”

Waddell switched to the automated check-in system when it was introduced, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

“It’s more convenient, but it takes the fun out of seeing what everybody else got,” he said.